Apparatus for the massage of the human body



Se t. 13, 1955 L. K. MASTALLER APPARATUS FOR THE MASSAGE OF THE HUMAN BODY Filed Nov. 14, 1951 JAIVf/W'OA aww hams/791m United States Patent APPARATUS FOR THE MASSAGE OF THE HUMAN BODY Leopold Karl Mastaller, Bonn, Germany Application November 14, 1951, Serial No. 256,227

Claims priority, application Germany November 16, 195i? 1 Claim. (Cl. 128-400) The invention relates to a new apparatus for carrying out massages on the human body or parts thereof.

One object of the invention is to provide means aflording the application of a stream of preheated and compressed air to the skin of a body for massaging purposes.

Another object of the invention is to provide means facilitating the application of a stream of compressed air for massaging purposes, the pressure of which is variable.

A further object of the invention is to provide means conducive to an application of a stream of preheated air for massaging purposes, the temperature of which is variable.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of means for regulating and/ or varying the pressure of the air stream used for massaging purposes.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of means for varying or regulating the temperature of the preheated air stream used for massaging purposes.

Still a further object of the invention is the provision of means for mixing a preheated air stream with an air stream of ambient temperature in controllable quantities to vary or regulate the temperature of the preheated air stream used for massaging purposes.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of an apparatus comprising air compressing means, an air chamber or vessel, heating means provided within said air chamber or vesel, preferably consisting of electrically heated resistances, which may be switched in sequence or gradually to give a variation in the temperature of the compressed air.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 diagrammatically shows the arrangement of the several parts forming the apparatus made in accordance with the invention, while Fig. 2 and Fig. 3 show diiferent views of an actual apparatus for carrying out massages with compressed and preheated air.

Referring now to Fig. l of the drawing, numeral 1 designates a power supply, preferably an electro-motor which, over an endless belt 2, drives an air pump or compressor 3. Said air compressor bears at its upper side a first filtering means 4, through which air is sucked in. It also may have an oil filter 5 and a compressed air tube joint 6, to which a filter chamber or vessel 7 is connected, which may be provided with a relief or safety valve 8 and a drain plug (not shown) for the relief of moisture or dust retained by the filter inside the filtering vessel 7.

From there the compressed air is led through a preferably flexible pressure conduit 9, which may be a pressure-proof hose, into the air chamber or vessel 10, in the interior of which there are arranged electric heating resistances 11. On the cover of the air chamber or vessel 10 there are provided a manometer 12 and an operating panel 13 comprising several switches 14 for regulating the heating power.

To the outlet joint 15 there is connected over a pressure reducing valve 16 with a manometer 17 a hose or flexible tube 18, which is adapted to receive an exchangeable mouthpiece 19. Power supply 20 or the electromotor and power supply 21 for the electro-heating resistances are jointly derived from a switch panel 22, which is shown with a knob 23 and fuses 24.

Considering now Figs. 2 and 3 the essential parts of the arrangement set forth above are included in a casing 25, the desk-formed cover 26 of which may bear the aforesaid manometer, operating knobs, indicating and switching elements etc. Same reference numerals indicate the same parts appearing in Fig. 1. Not only the filtering chamber or vessel 7 but in all cases the air chamber or vessel 15 may be provided with a drain plug 27. Alternately to switches 14 there may be provided a regulating knob 28. On the desk-formed cover a measuring instrument 29 may also be provided to indicate the amperage, the temperature or the like.

It is preferred to gather the parts of the apparatus except the compressor in such a desk-formed implement, which may suitably be movable by rollers or wheels. In order to suppress the noise of the compressor, the latter may be placed in a separate room, the implement being in the attending room. In this case it is possible to arrange the motor driving the compressor in the interior of the casing .23 and to provide a flexible transmission, e. g. an endless belt or a flexible shaft, connecting said motor to said compressor. in many cases it may be suflicient to arrange the switching means of the motor in the casing of the implement and to place the motor near the compressor.

For the connection of the compressor to the filtering vessel and the air vessel there is provided a flexible pressure-proof hose, which allows the implement to be moved. The arrangement of the main filter in the filtering chamber 7 between the compressor and the air vessel makes sure that no impurities of the air may pass into the compressed air stream used for the massage.

The electric resistances 11 may be switched in groups to produce different temperatures and to adjust the heating power to the variable air volume per unit of time. Aiternately it is possible to provide continuous or multi step means, e. g. using a step transformer or an electronic value control means. Those may be arranged to regulate the heating power according to the indication of an air cover of a desk-like casing.

Several other arrangements may be constructed in accordance with the present invention, e. g. in form of an easily manageable small device similar to a hot air sprayer, as it is known for hair drying purposes.

Suitably the massage with preheated compressed air according to the present invention will be performed with a mean pressure of the air stream of about between to 15!) lb. per sq. in., preferably lb. per sq. in. Thereby the pressure may be controlled by a valve to vary the pressure in small steps or actually in a continuous way, but such a control may be unnecessary since the pressure, which is executed unto a persons skin by the stream of preheated compressed air may be varied in ample limits by varying the distance of the mouthpiece from the surface of the skin or body to be massaged.

In a similar way it is suificient to vary the temperature in a few relatively wide steps and to provide for the exact adjustment in temperature by varying the distance of the mouthpiece from the body surface. The interchangeability of the mouthpieces, thereby, gives the possibility to massage smaller or larger surfaces of the body.

It is alternately or additionally possible to provide a mixing valve at the outlet of the air vessel or chamber in which the heating resistors are arranged, a conduit for compressed but not preheated air leading from said filtering vessel to said mixing valve. Thereby, it is possible to adjust the temperature of the massaging air stream by varying the ratio of preheated air to air of ambient tempcrature.

The apparatus according to the present invention aiiords a speedy warming treatment of the body parts to be massaged, mostly within the first minute and in a much smoother mode of operation, the efiect thereof reaching more deeply into the body layers than with all heretofore known methods.

It can thus be seen, that there has been provided according to the invention an apparatus for massaging an exterior part of the human body with air under pressure comprising compressor means for pressurizing said air, air filter means, air chamber means, heating means in said chamber means for heating said air, nozzle means directing air supplied from said chamber means to the location of application of said air to said part of the human body, first conduit means connecting said compressor means with said filter means, second conduit means connecting said filter means with said chamber means, third conduit means connecting said chamber means with said nozzle means, valve means disposed in said third conduit means and outside said chamber means for regulating the discharge pressure of said air from said nozzle means, said heating means including a plurality of electric heating elements each operable separately from adjacent the exterior of said air chamber means, whereby changes in the air pressure and changes in the temperature of air issuing Having thus described my invention and in what manner it is to be performed it will be clear to those skilled in the art that many variations may be made within the scope of the invention.

I claim:

An apparatus for massaging an exterior part of the human body with air under pressure comprising compressor means for pressurizing said air, air filter means, air chamber means, heating means in said chamber means for heating said air, nozzle means directing air supplied from said chamber means to the location of application of said air to said part of the human body, first conduit means connecting said compressor means with said filter means, second conduit means connecting said filter means with said chamber means, third conduit means connecting said chamber means with said nozzle means, valve means disposed in said third conduit means and outside said chamber means for regulating the discharge pressure of said air from said nozzle means, said heating means including a plurality of electric heating elements each operable separately for adjacent the exterior of said air chamber means, whereby changes in the air pressure and changes in the temperature of air issuing from said nozzle means may be regulated, and flow measuring means in said third conduit means and exteriorly of said air chamber means for indicating the volumetric discharge of air from said chamber means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

